KWAZULU-NATAL, PIETERMARITZBURG, 2 JUNE 2016 – The 2016 Nedbank Green Mile was a magnificent and humbling community event from start to finish, carefully organised to give family, friends and spectators the opportunity to boost runners embarking on the final 26km stretch to the end of the Comrades Marathon on Sunday, 29 May 2016.

Approximately 8 000 spectators occupied the Nedbank Green Mile on Old Main Road in Kloof, lining the street, shouting, dancing and clapping to the music that filled the air across the mile, which was swathed in green and gold. Families and friends picnicked on the lawns and grandstands, with multiple big screen TVs keeping them in tune with live race action.

Like a well-oiled machine, 643 entertainers, all sourced from KZN, knew exactly what to do and when, performing across six zones strategically positioned along the 1.6km Nedbank Green Mile, dressed up in an array of costumes like Ninja Turtles, Batman, Superman, Star Wars storm troopers, and green morph suits, running up the mile encouraging runners to keep moving forward. Groups of traditional Zulu dancers, gumboot dancers, and professional dancers put on shows continuously for 7 hours, plus cheerleaders, larger-than-life giant puppets, lifeguards and more cheered runners on.

Throughout the day, Scottish and military marching bands, Durban Girls High School’s drum majorettes, DJs, live bands including Afritude and Afro Divas, plus the marimba and steel drummers from St Nicholas Primary School, performed on either side of the Mile and across four stages. It was inspiring and electrifying, akin to a magnificent Rio de Janeiro parade party.

“A vital, behind-the-scenes element of the Nedbank Green Mile is its commitment to supporting the local community. In total, 881 local people were employed to work at the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile, sourced from local schools, universities, small businesses and non-profit organisations. This included 643 local entertainers and a support crew of 238. In 2016, we had the best catering zone yet, with eight local SME vendors showcasing KwaZulu-Natal’s incredible flavour,” said Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorship and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.

For the first time in Nedbank Green Mile history, Comrades Marathon major co-sponsor, Nedbank, gave spectators the chance to send digital motivational messages to their runner heroes. These messages were directly linked to a runner’s number so that when they crossed the timing map heading into the mile, the personal message was broadcast to them on a big screen TV. This proved incredibly popular amongst spectators and runners and will be a feature of future Nedbank Green Miles.

A most magical moment at the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile was double-amputee, Sandile Mbili.

“Four years ago, Sandile, from Diepsloot in Johannesburg, lost both his legs due to a bacterial infection. The Jumping Kids Foundation helped him to get prosthetic legs. Inspired by Sandile’s story, and his dedication to learning to run again using his new legs, Nedbank decided to help Sandile to raise funds to help more children like him get prosthetic legs,” said Badenhorst.

Nedbank challenged Sandile to run the Nedbank Green Mile on a 1.6km Twitter Track made up of motivational tweets from the public. For every Tweet on the track, Nedbank made a donation to the Jumping Kids Foundation to help more paraplegic children get prosthetic legs.

Running the Nedbank Green Mile, was a huge feat for 17-year-old Mbili, who until recently, was wheelchair bound and couldn’t even walk. He ran a social media campaign beforehand called #GoSandile, which encouraged people to raise awareness and donations for the Jumping Kids Foundation.

“This was an immense challenge for Mbili who is still undergoing regular physiotherapy to help him walk, let alone run again. But he ran the entire 1.6km Twitter track with a huge smile on his face, with thousands of supporters and hundreds of Comrades runners cheering him on. Sandile’s journey is what the Comrades Marathon is all about – humbly achieving what once seemed impossible,” said Badenhorst.

“With all your support on Twitter I was motivated to go on and finish the Nedbank Green Mile in 12 minutes! said a humbled Mbili

This is the Nedbank Green Mile – community, passion, challenge and victory, all rolled into one.

“Thank you to everyone involved with the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile – the spectators, the entertainers, the support crew, the charities, the schools, the universities and the Nedbank staff who gave freely of their time to manage our water point. But most importantly, thank you to the real inspirational heroes of the day – the runners who make this the greatest race in the world,” concluded Badenhorst.

You can watch Sandile's story at https://youtu.be/2ZchrUwPico

Watch the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile video here https://youtu.be/MWS14POyCI4

For high-res images of the 2016 Nedbank Green Mile, click on the link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3cpv0d9kegw80ji/AAAU1c7wiaD59htItPMGUZcDa?oref=e&n=281151227

SANDTON, JOHANNESBURG, 11 MAY 2016 - Today, 11th of May 2016, Comrades Marathon major sponsor, Nedbank, hosted their elite Nedbank Club runners from around the country at Nedbank’s Head Office in Johannesburg for an official Nedbank Running Club media launch and Comrades marathon send-off. 

This is the first time that Nedbank has hosted its top Comrades Marathon gold medal contenders in the same place at the same time prior to this major race. This momentous occasion allowed media the rare opportunity to interview these elite athletes prior to the Comrades Marathon.

The send-off began at 7am with a 5km fun run/walk around the Nedbank Head Office in Sandton, involving Nedbank Running Club elite runners, their coaches and managers, plus Nedbank staff and executive management, and the media. This was followed by a Nedbank-sponsored breakfast during which Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown, gave a heartfelt speech wishing all runners good luck for their 2016 Comrades Marathon endeavour.

Pro runners flown up for this event included Nedbank Running Club’s Claude Moshiywa, who was the first South African winner of the Comrades Marathon’s ‘Up Run’ in 21 years when he claimed victory at the 88th marathon in 2013. Moshiywa placed 3rd at the 2011 marathon and 7th at the 2015 marathon. 

Also present was Charne Bosman (4th Women – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 5th Women – 2015 Two Oceans Marathon, 2nd Women 2015 Comrades Marathon); Ludwick Mamabolo (6th – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 2nd - 2014 Comrades Marathon, 4th – 2013 Comrades Marathon); Siphiwe Ndlela (10th – 2016 Two Oceans Marathon, 17th – 2015 Comrades Marathon); Eric Ngubane (19th in 2009 Comrades Marathon), and Renier Grobler (18th in 2015 Comrades Marathon) - will also be at the event.

“This rare but fantastic official media launch and CEO send-off, for and by the Nedbank Running Club, was aimed at giving elite Nedbank-sponsored athletes, Nedbank employees, and the media, the rare opportunity to interact in a fun and informal atmosphere. The send-off was about celebrating the growth of the Nedbank Running Club and how it continues to add immense value to thousands of social and Nedbank Dream Team elite runners across the country. 

This momentous occasion in Nedbank history also offered our CEO, and our formidable runners, the heart-warming opportunity to say hello and thank you to one another, which was an amazing experience for all of them,” said Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Sponsorship and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.  

Nedbank CEO, Mike Brown, took the opportunity to announce that Nedbank has signed a further three-year sponsorship deal with the Nedbank Running Club, which will extend the bank’s support for the club to 2019. Launched in 2008, the Nedbank Running Club’s core focus has been to bring running enthusiasts together in a social but competitive environment, also identifying and guiding talented individuals to their full potential in the sport. Under the expert management of Nick Bester (past Comrades Marathon winner), the Nedbank Running Club has 13 branches in 12 cities around South Africa, and has grown from a base of 1 200 runners in 2008, to 3 800 runners in 2015.

Testament to its success, Nedbank’s representation at the 90th Comrades Marathon in 2015 saw more than 1000 Nedbank Club runners enter the event, with nine of the 20 gold medals going to Nedbank Club members. 

“Nedbank remains a dedicated supporter, and sponsor, of South African runners. Running provides opportunities for all South Africans across cultural, racial and financial barriers. Running is truly a sport for all. We look forward to once again seeing the Nedbank colours fill the streets in the 2016 Comrades Marathon,” said Badenhorst.

At the media launch, Mike Brown also unveiled Nedbank’s 2016 Comrades Marathon CSI initiative to support the #GoSandile campaign.

Said Badenhorst, “Four years ago, 17-year-old Sandile Mbili from Diepsloot in Johannesburg lost his legs due to a bacterial infection. The amputation confined Sandile to a wheelchair. This affected his life tremendously, especially getting to and from school as most taxis would refuse to pick him up. With the help of two non-profit organisations – One School at a Time and the Jumping Kids Foundation – Sandile has been fitted with prosthetic legs.”

To motivate Sandile to walk again using his prosthetic legs, the Jumping Kids Foundation launched a Twitter campaign called #GoSandile, which encourages everyone to tweet motivational messages to him, using the #GoSandile hashtag. These tweets are printed out and given to Sandile at each of his physiotherapy sessions, encouraging him to take another step to success. 

“Nedbank truly believes in this positive campaign to encourage and motivate Sandile to run again, and have challenged Sandile to do something incredible – they have challenged him to run the Nedbank Green Mile, which is 1.6km, at the 2016 Comrades Marathon,” said Badenhorst,

Badenhorst says that this distance will be physically and mentally challenging for Sandile, but what will motivate him tremendously is that he won’t be running for fun, he’ll be running to raise funds for other child paraplegics in a similar situation to himself. 

To help Sandile help other runners like himself – simply send a tweet of encouragement to @PhambiliSandile with the hashtags #GoSandile #NedbankGreenMile.  

With all the tweets received, Nedbank will create a 1.6km Twitter track at the 2016 Comrades Marathon Nedbank Green Mile for Sandile to run over. For every Tweet that Sandile receives and is used for the track, a donation will be made to the Jumping Kids Foundation to help more paraplegic children get prosthetic legs.

Said Sandile, “I am so excited. I like helping people. I can see the difference that these legs have brought to my life and if I can help people by just running, I’ll never stop.”

Editors’ Notes

Nedbank is an official major sponsor of the 2016 Comrades Marathon.

The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24th May 1921, Empire Day, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. It has continued since then every year with the exception of the war years 1941-1945, with the direction alternating each year between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the so called up & down runs.

The Nedbank Green Mile is the only official spectator point along the marathon route, offering Comrades supporters a perfect vantage point to view all the race action. It is located along Old Main Road in Kloof and is just 26km from the finish line in Kingsmead, Durban.

Entry into the Nedbank Green Mile Spectator Zone is free and festivities start at 8am.

This year the 89-km marathon starts in Pietermaritzburg and ends in Durban on 29 May 2016.

GAUTENG, JOHANNESBURG, 12 APRIL 2016 – Thomas van Tonder (Jeep Team) continued his unrelenting domination over The Beast OCR Challenge, winning Race 4 of the series on Saturday, 9 April, at The Wedge in Muldersdrift, Gauteng. 

Van Tonder, competing in the toughest race of the day, the Elite Savage Beast (15km trail run and 55 obstacles), has, so far, won all four of the Beast Obstacle Course Racing events.

Van Tonder set a blistering pace from the start and crossed the finish line in a time of 1h29, over six minutes ahead of second-placed Marius Smith (OCT South) in 1h36:01 with Bradley Claase (Team Battlerush) 3rd in 1h37:45 and Jay Jay Deysel (Jeep Team) 4th in 1h41:49.

The cold early morning conditions added to the pain the elites endured throughout the course that was considered the toughest so far. The race had the highest number of obstacles (55) of any OCR event in South Africa, many of which were highly-technical, upper-body strength challenges.

The first obstacle was a steep slope into a cold stretch of water, closely followed by the ‘Chandelier’, a 20m long obstacle of chained hanging tyres over water. The cold, slippery metal chains proved treacherous for many.

The decider on the day was the final obstacle, # 55, which hit many tired athletes hard after a gruelling 54 obstacles over 15km of trail running. The obstacle was an extreme test of upper body strength and grip, combining monkey bars, body twisters and weavers, gum pole shuffles, inverted cargo nets and cliff-hangers strung out over 20 metres. 

Only seven elites (6 male and 1 female) were able to complete this obstacle, one of which was Savage Beast female winner, Michelle Meyer, who was also the only official female finisher.

Said Jeep Team OCR star, Thomas van Tonder, “This was a tough race with the obstacles definitely presenting the biggest challenge. In the chilly morning, heading straight into the water made it difficult for us to warm up and get into a running rhythm. I feel blessed to take the win, extending my record of sole victor of all four Beast races so far. It’s now become a personal challenge to see how long I can hold onto the title. From the last Beast race, my time has also improved by four minutes.”

THE SAVAGE BEAST # 4 RESULTS:

MALE:

1. Thomas van Tonder – 1h29
2. Marius Smith – 1h36:01
3. Bradley Claase – 1h37:45
4. Jay Jay Deysel  - 1h41:49
5. Michael Joubert – 2h07:38      

FEMALE:

1. Michelle Meyer – 3h22:11 (11th overall male and female)

OTHER JEEP TEAM RESULTS

OCR

Jeep Team’s female OCR athlete, Carina Marx, was on fire this weekend on the other side of the country, finishing 3rd Elite Woman at Race #1 of the Impi Challenge, which took place in Stellenbosch from 9 – 10 April 2016. 

Hanneke Dannhauser won the women’s event, with Dominique D'Olivera, in 2nd.

The Impi Elite course consisted of an 18km trail run and approximately 26 obstacles, with female athletes required to complete the same extreme obstacles as the men.

Said Carina Marx, “The first event of the Impi Challenge was tough due to the extreme Stellenbosch terrain. At the start, the strong runners – Hanneke [Dannhauser] and Trish [Bahlmann] – raced ahead, leaving Dominique [D'Olivera] and I battling it out. Dominique then made a break from me and overtook Trish 5kms into the race. Towards the end, we faced a very tough obstacle - a 50kg salt bag that we had to pick up and carry on our shoulders over a distance. Here my strength-advantage came into play. The others battled to lift the bag, which gave me the break I needed to move ahead of Trish and finish 3rd on the podium.” 

This year, the IMPI Challenge is a qualifying event for the OCR World Championships, which take place later this year. The only other series that doubles as a qualifier is the Jeep Warrior Series.

Marx’s 3rd place finish in the Impi Challenge combined with her 2nd place finish in Jeep Warrior #2- Emerald Casino mean she is well on her way to qualifying for the OCR World Champs.

THE IMPI CHALLENGE ELITE # 1 RESULTS:

MALE:

1. Claude Eksteen – 1h40
2. AJ Calitz – 1h41:27
3. Chad Gordon – 1h50:16

FEMALE:

1. Hanneke Dannhauser – 2h14:21
2. Dominique D'Olivera – 2h22:38
3. Carina Marx – 2h31:02

For all the Impi Challenge results, go to https://www.entryninja.com

#JeepTeamSA 

Editors’ Notes
For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..